Machine for comminuting sheet and multisheet scrap materials



United States Patent [72] Inventor Gene A. Lueeombe RR. 1, Dolliver, Iowa 50531 [21] Appl. No. 670,706 [22] Filed Sept. 26,1967 [45] Patented Dec. 8, 1970 [54] MACHINE FOR COMMINUTING SHEET AND MULTI-SHEET SCRAP MATERIALS 4 Clallnl, 9 Drawing Figs. [52] US." 241/186, 83/32. 83/355. 83/620. 83/906: 241/190, 241/63 [51] Int. Cl. 1302c 13/00 [50] Field Search 241/34, 63, 185, 186, 190, 191, 262, 270, 271, 272, 277, 283, 293, 195, 191, 188; 83/32, 355, 620, 694, 906; 146/240; 144/228, 229, 236, 237, 240

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 286,535 10/1983 Everding 83/906 593,005 11/1897 Wilder 241/191 110,123 12/1970 Dill 144/240 81,303 8/1868 Siemers... 241/283 368,435 8/1887 Turvey 83/355 3,077,134 2/1963 ROl'liClt 83/620 Primary Examiner-Gerald A. Dost Attorney-Williamson, Palmatier and Bains ABSTRACT: An economical machine for comminuting various sheet and multisheet scrap materials, such as collapsed metal containers, scraps of plastic, cardboard, and metal materials, which essentially comprises a stationary cutting die having a series of small stationary teeth disposed transversely of the machine in combination with a rapidly moving cutting die opposed to the stationary die and having stationary, similar but alternatively disposed, cutting teeth working in cooperation and interspersion with the said first-mentioned series of teeth. The invention is further characterized by feed means synchronized with the cutting operations to move sheet material longitudinally into the machine for cutting with intermittent movement interspersed between the rapid times of cooperating action on the part of the cutter dies.

PATENTEDDEC 8I97U SHEH 1 BF 3 nsi MACHINE FOR COMMINUTING SHEET AND MULTI- Sl-IEET SCRAP MATERIALS This invention relates to machinery for disintegrating and comminuting sheet material such as collapsed tin cans, metal containers, and the like.

At the present time, restaurants, institutions, filling stations, apartment houses, and homeowners accumulate large volumes of cans, scrap sheet metal and other sheet material which must ultimately be disposed of. There is substantial need for economy in space and to such an end, can and container crushers have been utilized to collapse containers, thereby affording greater storage within a given space. The volumetric reduction however, by such crushing and collapsing actions is comparatively little.

It is an object of my invention to provide machinery for completing comminuting cans, containers, and other scrap sheet material, to an extent where the comminuted material occupies, in most instances, less than 2 percent of the volume of the original containers.

A more specific object is the provision of disintegrating and comminuting mechanism of the class described, by which, as the comminution continues, the fine material is discharged in a small stream which may be readily collected for ultimate disposal.

A further object is the provision of a sheet comrninuting machine which is simple in structure, capable of manufacture at a cost to enable a homeowner to readily buy the same, and which disintegrates a collapsed can or piece of sheet material or plastic into rectangular bits having an average particle size in the neighborhood of 1/4 square inch.

These and odier objects and advantages of my invention will more readily appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. I is a rear elevation of one embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device looking towards the left side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 4 is a detail vertical section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial rear elevation of another embodiment of my invention utilizing rotary cutting elements rather than reciprocating;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a detail front elevation of an end portion of the stationary compound teeth of the machine;

FIG. 8 is a detail front elevation of still another form of the invention, illustrating a continuously driven rotary cutter element having spaced cutter teeth; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of the same.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 of the drawings, it will be noted that a heavy, rigid metal frame is provided for my machine, having a large rectangular bed plate designated as an entirety by the letter B, which is constructed from a pair of widely spaced angle bars 10, rigidly interconnected by a large rectangular motor-supporting plate 1 I. At the rear of the base a heavy bed bar 12 interconnects the rear ends of the angle bars and is disposed edgewise to support and retain the fixed jaws of my structure later to be described.

The frame of my machine includes a pair of heavy side frame members 13 interposed between the ends of bed bar 12 and the upstanding vertical flanges a of the angle bars 10. The parts are rigidly interconnected by suitable means such as welding or bolts.

A horizontally disposed, stationary die or cutting block 14 is rigidly and removably affixed to bed bar 12 such as by bolts 140 (see FIG. 4), said fixed die or jaw having at its forward edges a multiplicity of cutter teeth 14b (see FIG. 3). As shown, these teeth are integrally formed from the die block and are spaced apart a distance very slightly greater than the rectangular width of the teeth 14b to leave clearance for a reciprocating jaw having similar teeth, as will be later described.

A rear platform member for supporting and guiding the collapsed cans or other material or work to be disintegrated, is affixed to the rear of bed plate 12 and as shown, consists in an angle bar 15 having an upper horizontal flange disposed flush with the die bar 14, and having a depending angled web 15b, which as shown, is suitably affixed as by bolts to the back surface of the bed bar 12.

An intermittently driven, corrugated feed roller R constructed of hard metal, is transversely mounted for yieldability in the rear of my machine frame, said feed roller being affixed to a concentric driven shaft 16, the ends of which are journaled in vertical oblong-shaped bearing blocks 17, disposed respectively at the inner faces of the heavy frame sides 13 and slidably mounted for limited vertical movement therein. The bearing blocks have longitudinal central slots 170 which receive the shanks of headed guide pins 18 which are tapped into or otherwise securely fixed to the respective side frame members 13. The bearing blocks 17 and consequently roller R are urged downwardly by compression springs 19 which are interposed between the upper ends of block 17 and fixed abutments 20 which are secured in alignment with the blocks by bolts 204 as shown, to the upper ends of the heavy side frame members 13. The feed roller R is thus yieldably urged, by tension of the springs 19 against the platform provided by the upper face and the rearward horizontal portion of the die member M.

A vertically movable cutter head and jaw, indicated as an entirety by the letter J, cooperates with the stationary toothed die 14 and as shown, comprises a die mounting block 23 slidably mounted for vertical reciprocation, and having affixed to the bottom thereof, such as by bolts, the die having rectangular teeth 21, spaced apart for interspersion during operation with the teeth 14b of the stationary die.

For assuring vertical reciprocation of the jaw J mounting block 23 is provided with end extensions of rectangular cross section which are vertically guided by vertical channel guide means 23a which are afiixed to the inner sides of the upstand ing heavy frame members 13.

Yieldable presser bar means are attached to the rear and upper portion longitudinally of the die mounting block 23 for reciprocation with jaw J and for the purpose of intermittently pressing the sheet material to be comminuted forwardly of feed roller R against the lower support prior to and during reciprocation of the tooth die 21. To this end, a presser bar in the form of a comb having teeth 220 corresponding with and overlying the teeth 14b of the die 14 is yieldably mounted as shown by upstanding supporting shanks or bolts 240 which are affixed at their lower ends to the comb 22 and are slidably mounted for vertical limited displacement in the bar 24. Toothed presser comb 22 is urged downwardly below the normal position of the tooth jaw 21a by coil springs 25 surrounding the shanks 24a and interposed between the upper portion of comb 22 and the under surfaces of the mounting bar 24 for the presser attachment. Thus, as the feed roller R is intermit tently rotated during the upwardly raised movement of jaw J, presser comb 22 is removed from engagement with the sheet material to be comminuted. While in the downward stroke of the jaw J following, when the feed roller R is stationary, the presser comb 22 will firmly engage and retain the sheet material prior to and during the cutting stroke of the tooth die 21.

Means for vertically reciprocating the jaw J rapidly, in synchronism with the intermittent revolving of feed roller R, are provided. A shown (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the pitman structure is employed comprising at each side of the machine a pitman link 27 which is pivotally mounted in each instance upon a common driving shaft 26 having diminished shaft ends 26a which are disposed eccentrically of the body of the shaft. The shaft 26 is constantly driven at a predetermined r.p.m. indirectly from the common source of power shown, to wit: an

electrical motor M mounted on the motor supporting plate 11 and at the front of the machine.

Mechanism is provided for intermittently driving the feed roller R through a predetermined portion of a revolution from the common source of power.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, an eccentric or crankdriven rachet and pawl mechanism is employed in the first form of the invention disclosed which comprises a rather heavy wheel 29 (having some fly wheel effect) afiixed to, as shown, the left-hand end 26a of the eccentric-driven shaft 26. This wheel has a link 30 pivoted thereto as by a pivot bolt 31, point of pivot being predetermined eccentrically of the diminished shaft end 26a. As shown, provision for adjustment in the pivotal connection is made by a series of tapped openings 29a circumferentially spaced on a spiral path of the outer face of wheel 29. The outer end of the link 30 is pivotally connected as by bolt to the outer end of a pawl-carrying link 33 which in turn is pivoted on the roller shaft 16 at one terminal portion thereof as by means of a threaded pivot bolt 36. A ratchet wheel 35 is affixed to roller shaft 16 and is intermittently engaged and driven through a partial revolution by the tooth 34a of a pawl 34 affixed intermediately to the inner face of the actuating link 33. The actuating wheel 29, as shown in FIG. 2, is constantly revolved in clockwise direction thereby through the linkage 30, 33 and pawl 34, progressively and intermittently revolving the roller shaft 16 in partial revolutions, also clockwise. In FIG. 2, the position of wheel 29 and the rachet and pawl mechanism is shown substantially at the end of driving engagement of the roller shaft 16. Further revolution of the wheel 29 from such position frees the pawl tooth 340 from rachet 35 and the roller remains stationary until the pivot point 31 of link 30 has moved a little further than three-fourths of a revolution to a position where the pin is slightly forward of vertical alignment with the center of the shaft end 264.

Suitable driving connections are employed to cause all moving parts to be driven in synchronization from the common source of power such as motor M. To this end, the power takeoff shaft 37 from the motor has affixed to the outer end thereof a roller chain pinion 37 is mesh with an endless roller chain 38 which is also entrained about a rather large chain sprocket 39, which is affixed to the right end, as shown in FIG. 1, of a countershaft 40 joumaled in suitable bearings mounted on the forward edges of the upstanding frame members 13. The shaft 390 has affixed to the outer right end thereof a small chain pinion 4! which is engaged by an endless roller chain 42 trained about a relatively large chain sprocket 43 affixed to the right reduced end 26a of the eccentric shaft 62.

The reduced left end 26a of eccentric shaft 26 is afiixed to the wheel 29 and the driving connections of rachet and pawl engagement have been previously recited herein.

OPERATION It will be understood that my machine, as described, is adapted to disintegrate and comminute numerous types of waste sheet material in single or multilayer form. Thus, metal cans and containers of variable dimensions, when crushed or collapsed, with or without removal of the bottoms thereof, and varying considerably in cumulative thickness may be readily comminuted by my machine. Other waste scraps and fragments of plastic, or composition materials may be equally well disintegrated and comminuted. The sheet or collapsed material, whether in slightly curved or planar general configuration, is fed into the rear of the machine with its forward edge or edges engaged between the platform a and the corrugations of rigid roller R. (See FIGS. 2 and 4.) The bearing blocks 17 for roller R will yield upwardly in accordance to the requirements of the thickness and varying thickness of the material fed into the machine, but in view of the pressure and tension of the vertical springs 19 will always exert sufficient pressure in conjunction with the smooth surface of the platform 15a and top smooth surface of the cutting block 14 to move the material longitudinally forward, step by step, through the rachet and pawl actuation of roller R. The intermittent clockwise revolution of roller R, as viewed in H65. 2 and 4, is predetermined to move the sheet material in each actuation longitudinally slightly less than the length or protrusion dimensions of the cooperating teeth 14b and 21 of the stationary and movable jaws, respectively.

Almost immediately after first step operation of the feed roller R, the movable jaw .l with the toothed movable die 21 is vertically moved downwardly with high power and at rapid speed. In this connection, I have successfully operated machines of the structure shown at speeds exceeding I00 cuts per minute.

In the downward stroke of the reciprocating jaw J, the presser bar or comb 22 first contacts and firmly holds the sheet material pressing against the smooth top of the stationary die member 14, and immediately thereafter the movable tooth die 21 passes downwardly through the teeth 14b of the stationary die, ejecting in its action (and with the help of the comb presser bar) the small rectangular fragments cut from the sheet material. Since the plungerlike cutting is vertical, all disintegrated material is forced and falls vertically downward, being adapted in this concentrated ejection fashion to collection by a receptible or moving conveyor disposed below the bed frame B.

While, of course, the size of comminution may be varied considerably in dimensions in accordance with the width and projection length of the teeth 14b and 21 of the cooperating dies, I find it convenient to dimension the piece in the neighborhood of rhinch in length and in transverse width. This results in the production of comminuted particles of substantially square or slightly oblong shape, having areas of less than %square inch. in such comminuted form, the particles readily mix compactly and may be packaged in bagsor containers and in the volumetric dimensions approximate only 2 to 3 percent of the volumetric dimension of a rectangular or cylindrical container from which the particles were derived. It thus will be seen that various sheet waste material, whether in single layer or multilayer form, may be very quickly disintegrated and comminuted into fine particles through the use of my machine.

It will, of course, be understood that the scrap materials may be fed manually at the starting of the operation or may be fed into contact with feed roller R by suitable intermittently operated conveyor means.

The comminuted material may be stored in relatively small volumetric space, and where the particles have values as junk material, these may be subsequently disposed of with some small market value.

In FIGS. 5 to 7, inclusive, of the drawings, a second embodiment of my invention is illustrated, wherein the feeding of the sheet or multishcct material is intermittent and a constantly driven rotary medium is used.

To such ends, a rugged, preferably metal, mounting frame is provided which, as shown, includes heavy vertically disposed rectangular sides 50, spaced apart and secured together by collar-equipped spacing bolts 51, which extend transversely between the four corners of the said frame members 50. A stationary, heavy cutter anvil A.T. having a wide and flared base, as shown, is rigidly secured between the side plate 50 of the frame, such as by heavy bolts 54, and is accurately machined and formed at its forward upper surfaces to provide generally segmental-spaced teeth, identified as an entirety by 56, which have planar vertical side faces 56c spaced apart by arcuate recesses or cuts 57. The widths of the arcuate cuts 57 is very slightly greater than the widths of teeth 56 to accommodate, with working clearance, cooperating rotary cutter blades or elements hereinafter referred to. It should be noticed (see particularly FIG. 5) that the segmental teeth 56 are successively positioned with the cutting edges extending slightly forwardly of the left-hand tooth shown in FIG. 5. This, is in a cooperative cutting, as later to be described, produces a successive shearing angle effect on the sheet material to be comminuted and,

furthermore, lessens the power requirements of the machine since the revolving blades or cutter elements will successively engage with the said teeth 57.

It will be understood that the teeth and anvil A.T. are constructed from extremely hard metal tool materials to produce sharp top and forward edges on respective teeth 56 and to provide between each tooth 56 a sharp upper cutting edge verging into the arcuate configuration 57. It will further be seen that each tooth 56 has a sharp arcuate cutting edge 56a at the forwardly projecting portion thereof, which is adapted to be cooperated with the respective shorter and intermediate cutting blades SB of a power-driven rotary head.

A rotary multiblade cutter head cooperates with the segmental teeth 56 of the cutter anvil A.T., being affixed to a transverse, heavy continuously driven shaft 58 which, as shown, (see FIG. 5) has a chain sprocket 59 secured to one end thereof for driving. The rotary cutter head is made up of a multiplicity of shorter cutter blades SB affixed in a predetermined relation to the driven shaft 58 and having straight line cutter ends 2', which extend perpendicularly to the longitudinal center line of the blades SB. The shorter cutter blades SB, which are successively angled to shaft 58, start with the first blade shown in FIG. 6 at an angle of about 4% are, The straight line cutting edges and the two ends of each blade SB cooperate in revolution of shaft 58 with the corresponding arcuate cutting edge 56a of a stationary tooth 56.

lnterspersed between the shorter blades SB are longer cutter blades LB as clearly shown in FIG. 6, said longer blades terminating in straight cutting edges e dispersed perpendicular to the longitudinal center lines thereof. All of the blades SB and LB are fixedly mounted on driven shafi S8. The cutting surfaces of the stationary die or anvil, with which the tips of blades LB and SB cooperate, are concentric with the axis of the driven shaft 58. The two series of blades LB and SB are successively angled with relation to the horizontal blade LB,

' shown in elevation in FIG. 6, at proper angular successive relation to cooperate nicely with the stationary cutter elements 56, 57 and 56a.

The sheet material, in single or multilayer form, is longitudinally fed into the machine at the rear end between a rigid, intermittently driven steel roller R4 and a cooperating upper roller R-Z, constructed preferably of slightly compressible material and urged downwardly for contact with the work to be comminuted by coil springs 54. A horizontal platform section P is provided in the frame of the machine, upon which the sheet material to be comminuted is originally supported prior to feeding engagement between rollers R-1 and R-Z.

Any suitable means or mechanism with power derived from the main source of power for revolving the shaft 58 and the double cutter head affixed thereto is employed, such as mechanism of the pawl and rachet-type disclosed for intermittently operating feed roller of the invention form illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the revolving cutter head has, in fact, two oppositely disposed series of shorter and longer cutter blades SB and LB, respectively. Thus, the synchronization of the operation of positivelydriven feed roller R-l must be made at the portions of revolution of shaft 58 between cooperative cutting of the last longer blade LB in series with its related arcuate die defined by the are 57 of the stationery teeth. It will be noted that in actual cutting of the sheet material, successive cutter blades cooperate with the stationary teeth 56 in such manner that there will never be a time when there is an overlap of more than two simultaneous cutting operations. Thus, the load and power requirements of the device are minimized and successive shearing effect is accomplished by the angling of the dies and cutter blades from the axis of the driven shah 58.

in FIGS. 8 and 9, the rotary cutting head and die of still another form of the invention is illustrated, employing a horizontal shaft A which may be integrally formed with a transverse cutter head indicated as an entirety by 60. This head has a cutter edge defined by a series of cutter teeth 61 of rectangular shape, spaced apart by grooves or notches 62 of equal length and slightly wider (for working clearance) widths than the teeth 61. The head 60, along the side disposed oppositely from the tooth cutting edge, is enlarged to constitute a counter weight effect in the revolution of the head.

As shown in FIG. 9, the teeth 61 at the leading cutting edges, have faces providing edges which engage corresponding stationary teeth on the machine which are successively angled along the axis of the shaft A. This produces a shearing effeet and also lessens the power requirement of the unit.

The stationary cutter head or anvil, with which rotary head 50 cooperates, is quite generally similar to the stationary cutter head A.T. of the invention form disclosed in FIGS. 5 to 7 of the drawings.

From the foregoing it will be seen that l have provided (in several forms) simple and efficient machinery for rapidly comminuting single or multisheet material, with provision for successively concentrating the comminuted material during operation into a concentrated stream or flow.

it will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, and arrangement of parts and the dimension of cutter elements utilized, all without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

lclaim:

1. A machine for comminuting sheet and multisheet scrap materials such as metals into small particles of generally rectangular shape, having in combination;

a stationary cutting die having upstanding rectangular teeth and individual rectangular recesses between the teeth;

a rotary cutter bar support having its axis substantially parallel to the forward line of said teeth;

a multiplicity of cutter bars affixed to said rotary support and extending generally radially thereof and successively angled to each other and having cutter tips at their outer ends of rectangular cross section adapted to be disposed in close working clearance to the outer edges of said teeth and to said individual rectangular recesses between the teeth in operation;

said blades being alternately of differential length;

power means for revolving said support and blades at high speed;

sheet material feeding mechanism synchronized in operation with said power revolving means to project sheet material into the path of said cutting elements;

wherein said rectangular teeth and said intervening rectangular recesses constitute two sets of dies, upstanding from a stationary bed;

wherein said variably angled cutter blades alternately are of slightly different lengths, the alternate longer blades hav' ing rectangular tips for working in close clearance to said recess-formed die elements, and the alternate shorter blades working in close clearance to the exposed upstanding edges of said teeth; and

wherein said first set of dies formed by said rectangular teeth project upwardly from said stationary bed and are defined by planar side surfaces and upper surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to said side surfaces, and 'further defined by a concave substantially arcuate upper corner surface extending concentrically with the axis of said rotary blade support, said second set of dies also extending upwardly and successively interposed between said first set and having rather short planar upper surfaces and forward elongated concave arcuate surfaces and also being concentric with the axis of said revolving support.

2. A machine for comminuting sheet and multisheet scrap materials, such as metals, into small particles of generally rectangular shape having in combination:

a rugged upstanding supporting frame;

a rotary cutter bar support mounted transversely in said frame;

a multiplicity of cutter bars affixed centrally to said rotary support and extending generally radially thereof and successively angled to each other and having substantially rectangular cutter tips at their outer ends;

said cutter bars being alternately of two different predetermined lengths;

power means for revolving said support and blades at high speed;

a stationary die structure comprising a multiplicity of rigid said teeth forming two sets of dies for cooperation with said two sets of cutter bars, the first set for cooperation with said longer cutter bars comprising the teeth of rectangular cross section defined by planar side surfaces and upper surfaces extending substantially perpendicular to said side surfaces together with the channels between said teeth disposed in close working clearance to the sides of the cutter tips of said longer set of cutter bars; and

the second set of dies constituting the said upper rectangular surfaces of said teeth and concave upper corner surfaces formed in all of said teeth extending concentrically with and in close working clearance to the orbit of said shorter set of cutter bars.

3. The structure as set forth and defined in claim 2 wherein said channels between said teeth are defined by concave arcuate end portions disposed concentrically of and in close working clearance to the cutter tips of said longer set of cutter bars.

4. The structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein said stationary die structure comprises an integrally formed die anvil having an enlarged base bed secured to said frame and with said teeth as previously defined and the arcuate end portions of said channels being integrally formed with said bed. 

